"Currently, when oil prices rise, the government receives a windfall increase in tax revenues, mainly due to taxes on North Sea oil production. And when oil prices fall, the government suffers an unexpected shortfall in revenues for the same reason."

Unfortunately for George the idea of a government "windfall" from rising oil prices is a myth. As the Sunday Times economics editor pointed out on his blog recently:

"Why is a fair fuel stabiliser, a Conservative policy before the election and now back in the news, not a good idea? Because, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, it is a myth to say that the government gains from a temporary (or permanent) rise in oil prices."

And indeed if you take a look at the OBR's report from last year, you see that:

"Allowing for offsetting effects, particularly from the impact from a weaker economy means there is very little or no improvement in the public finances that could be used for stabilising the pump price."

In fact as these OBR spreadsheets show, rising oil prices can actually decrease the amount of tax taken by the government overall:

So if the government wants to introduce a "Fair Fuel Stabiliser" they will have to do it by raising taxes, charges and fares even more elsewhere.

Although at least now his opponents will be able to publicly question him about it.

-Update- Green Party member of LFEPA Darren Johnson said today:

"Brian Coleman has made himself look completely ridiculous by issuing such draconion proposals and then being forced to backtrack. Backbench representatives being able to ask questions of those in power is a basic of any democratic system. I still find it worrying that the chair is wanting a review of Members Questions, but I hope that it will include his failure to provide adequate answers and allow discussion.";

"a proposal from Chairman and Leader [Coleman] to revise the Standing Orders of the Authority in order to cease the practice of Members of the Authority putting questions to the Chairman and Leader of the Authority."

A spokesman for the Fire Brigade declined a request to explain or comment upon on the proposal, saying that the full report would be published later today.

"There is no statutory requirement for question time. The Authority may therefore decide to remove Standing Order 21 [allowing questions to the Chairman]."

Leader of the Labour group Navin Shah described the proposal as a "draconian measure" and added that:

"The contempt and arrogance shown by Councillor Coleman and his cronies in proposing this gagging order is a shameful and blatant attack on the basic right of elected Members to be heard in the public domain."

Last year Coleman hit the headlines after ejecting two camera crews from a public meeting in which disgraced councillor Bertha Joseph was used to vote through his budget:

Coleman has also previously reduced the number of questions members are allowed to ask and removed their right to bring delegations to meetings.

However, this move would constitute a far greater attack on democratic procedures at the Fire Authority.

I will update this post as and when the full report is published. Now published. See above

-Update- Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnson claims Brian had threatened to ban questions if he asked a question about injured firefighters:

"Prior to the last Fire Authority Meeting Brian Coleman rang me up and threatened to abolish Members' Questions at meetings altogether if I went ahead with a question about injuries sustained by picketing firefighters during the recent dispute. His autocratic behaviour is just incredible. Being able to table questions is an important part of the democratic process and it is just incredible that anyone would want to remove this right."

Lib Dem leader on LFEPA Cllr Terry Stacy said today:

"Mayor Boris Johnson and London Borough Council leaders across the city have to face an open public question time on what they are doing with public money. But Brian Coleman wants to put himself beyond questioning and silence any opposition. If he gets his way opposition groups will have no way to get concerns about how he is handling London’s fire service onto LFEPA’s agenda."

Friday, 7 January 2011

"The new Tory proposals to give greater power over the River Thames to Boris Johnson are a useful step forward in a campaign that I and the think-tank Policy Exchange have helped wage to make the river a genuine public transport highway...

I smiled to myself a few months ago when a rival, Labour blogger with a reliable record of not knowing very much announced that Policy Exchange’s river report had “sunk at a rate of knots"

Wednesday, 5 January 2011

London Assembly Member Jenny Jones will tomorrow launch her campaign to become the Green Party's candidate for Mayor in 2012.

Jones who is a regular combatant of Boris Johnson on the Assembly was the former Deputy Mayor of London between 2003 and 2004.

She describes herself as a "critical friend" of the former Mayor Ken Livingstone, but has not announced whether she would recommend second preference votes for the Labour candidate.

She said today:

"London needs desperately the green measures that a Green Mayor would introduce for a cleaner, safer city. Whether it's cleaning up on air pollution, investing in public transport, increasing the supply of affordable homes, or keeping the police local, Greens deliver on their promises and work for the whole of London."

Her fellow Green Party Assembly Member Darren Johnson will stand as her running mate. No other candidates have yet to declare their intention to stand for the party.

If selected, Jenny Jones would become the third declared candidate for 2012 with the Liberal Democrats the only major party yet to choose a candidate.

Selection for the Liberal Democrat contender was recently delayed after only Lembit Opik got through the initial selection process.

Sunday, 2 January 2011

London's least diplomatic councillor celebrated the end of the fire dispute by threatening to cut 27 fire engines across the capital. Picked up by this blog, the story went on to lead news bulletins, and culminated in fiery stand-offs between Coleman, Boris and James O'Brien on LBC.

Suspended for using charitable donations to buy ball gowns, Bertha Joseph was allowed to keep her job on the fire authority in order that Boris could maintain a Tory majority. Again the story was taken up by BBC London, local and national papers.

"Barking Councillor Robert Bailey blamed a conspiracy against "the indigenous people of this country" today after he was banned from driving for 18 months." This post is from 2009 but still mysteriously gets dozens of hits every week. Are you out there Bob?

Not quite sure why this post was such a hit, detailing as it did a slightly dull political bust-up between Boris and his opponents, but you never can tell what people want to read, which brings me to the most popular entry of 2010.

This post detailing serious doubts about the story leading all the news bulletins and newspapers at the time soon went viral and became the most-read post I've ever written, with over a hundred comments and 749 retweets. Within hours Christine Pratt's story had fallen to pieces and her patrons had scarpered.